I've got a good sized Dempsey (approximately 6 inches or so) who lives alone in a 55g tank. He's taken the last 2-3 days to sulking behind a rock under the filter intake. He's still alive but won't come out for anything. Normally, I walk in the room and he comes out hoping to be fed. Lately, even when I put food in, he won't come out. He just sits there. Is there something wrong with him? I know the water is fine as I just did a 20% water change.
Sulking Dempsey. What to do?
- Thread starter chinnp
- Start date
Did you actually test the water? I'd definitely test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate with a good liquid test kit, things can still go wrong with water parameters even if you religiously do your water changes. Better to check and be safe. I assume he's been in this tank a while, and wasn't just moved into it? Can you see him - do his fins look clamped, any other physical signs of anything wrong?
I haven't tested the water. I do change 15-20% every week and he's been in this tank for almost a year. His fins are kind of clinched, but that's normal for him. He's in the spot between the bottom of the filter intake and the and bottom of the tank. He's dug out all the gravel there a long time ago. I'll have to dig out my test kits when I get home.
My Tiger Oscar did the gravel digging in the corner when he was alone in my 20g about 5 days before I moved him to my 120g.
If the water tests are ok he might be just lonely. Could also be a parasite of some sort.
If the water tests are ok he might be just lonely. Could also be a parasite of some sort.
I did not get a chance to test the water in there as I was kind of swamped with stuff. Things like this happen on the worse nights. There's a big conference in town being hosted by our church so I get off at 5 and I'm supposed to be there by 6 or 6:30 every night the rest of the week. I had two heaters in there and one is older and needs replacing. I pulled the plug on that on the off chance that it was putting electricity into the water. (If it is, it's something very mild as I can't feel it, but I have no lateral line in my hand.) The filter media seemed clogged so I put new filter pads in there. (I have a bio-wheel so I don't think I'd lose enough bacteria to cause a mini-cycle. Especially not with only one fish who's not eating.)
It is kind of difficult to see him where he is, but he looked otherwise ok. I could only see one side of him but what I could see I didn't see any visible sores or wounds. I didn't see anything obviously wrong and his color appeared ok. He had moved around as he was now facing the other direction in the tank.
It is kind of difficult to see him where he is, but he looked otherwise ok. I could only see one side of him but what I could see I didn't see any visible sores or wounds. I didn't see anything obviously wrong and his color appeared ok. He had moved around as he was now facing the other direction in the tank.
I hate to tell you this.....
I posted almost the same question a few months ago. You may find it in a search. My JD was about 8 years old. He was fine and them I noticed him doing the same thing your describing.
He wasn't eating much either.
Sad to say about 2 months after my post I found him one morning... passed away.
How old is yours?
I posted almost the same question a few months ago. You may find it in a search. My JD was about 8 years old. He was fine and them I noticed him doing the same thing your describing.
He wasn't eating much either.
Sad to say about 2 months after my post I found him one morning... passed away.
How old is yours?
Noooooooooooooooooooo. I did not want to hear that. I don't know exactly how old he is as he was a rescue project. He was being kept in a 20 g tank that was far too small for him. The woman who owned him hated him, but her husband loved him so she kept trying to kill him. I stepped in and offered to take him because I felt sorry for the poor guy. I did some re-arranging and put Jack in the 55g and combined the fish from my 55g with the fish from my 75g (which I could do as my tanks are notoriously understocked). He settled in and I grew accustomed to his hatred for me and for the world in general. I've grown to love how he comes clear out of the water sometimes when he eats and how he will attack me repeatedly if I put my hand in the tank for any reason. He's grown on me I guess.
I don't know exactly how old he is. I've had him for about two years and his previous owner thinks she had him for 4 to 5 years before I got him. He's probably in the 6-7 year old age range, is probably stunted somewhat from living in the 20g and probably traumatized from the nice lady trying to kill him.
He's my favorite fish. Yeah, I have schools of neons that look cool and a colony of convicts that love me dearly, but it's hard to get attached to an entire school of fish. I somehow related to the pissed off occupant of my 55g in my fish room.
I don't know exactly how old he is. I've had him for about two years and his previous owner thinks she had him for 4 to 5 years before I got him. He's probably in the 6-7 year old age range, is probably stunted somewhat from living in the 20g and probably traumatized from the nice lady trying to kill him.
He's my favorite fish. Yeah, I have schools of neons that look cool and a colony of convicts that love me dearly, but it's hard to get attached to an entire school of fish. I somehow related to the pissed off occupant of my 55g in my fish room.